A bit of both.

Aaron and Sarah were ushered into Betty’s home. Sunlight coming in through the windows gave the home a warm yellow tint, and it smelled faintly of roses.

Betty led them into her kitchen and began rummaging around, getting out a tea kettle and started making some floral tea.

Sarah used this opportunity to lean over and whisper to Aaron, “Smells like ‘grandma’ in here, doesn’t it?” Aaron had to stifle a laugh at that, his gallows humor ratcheting up as he was desperately trying to figure out how to get out of this.

Sarah, meanwhile, was taking Betty’s place in, looking around at the knickknacks and pictures she had. She spent a fair amount of time looking at the rather attractive younger woman in several pictures with a handsome man before she realized that the woman in the pictures was Betty.

Betty had the kettle on the stove at this point. Sarah pointed to some of the pictures and asked, “BETTY? IS THAT YOU IN THE PHOTOS, RIGHT? WHO’S THE GUY?”

Betty smiled a wistful smile. “Oh, that was my husband, Brian, may he rest in peace. He was a good provider, a wonderful father, and a good husband.”

She reached over and patted Aaron’s hand, “Just like we’re going to find for you, dear. You need a good husband.”

Aaron had to resist the urge to pull his hand back. “BETTY, I’M NOT LOOKING FOR…”

“Oh, nonsense, Erin. A woman needs a man, and you’re a good woman, and we’ll get you a good man.”

“But…”

The tea kettle began to whistle and Betty turned to make the tea. Aaron stood to leave. “I don’t need this!” he whispered through clenched teeth to Sarah.

“You don’t have any female work clothes!” She hissed back. “And you don’t have to date guys to make her happy! Just a few weeks!”

Aaron knew she was right, and reluctantly settled back into the barstool at the counter. He was tense and on edge, not looking forward to what was coming.

Betty poured three cups of hot water into rather formal looking teacups and started steeping some tea. “Always nice to have company, dears,” she said while she worked. “It can get lonely without the love of your life around.”

Aaron absentminded nodded in agreement, thinking about how much he missed the actual Erin. He was snapped back to reality again when Betty patted his manicured hand. “There’s a good man out there for you Erin, to replace your husband, never worry.”

Realizing he wasn’t going to get Betty to stop with the comments about his “needing a husband,” Aaron turned the subject to Betty’s husband, Brian.

“HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR HUSBAND?” Aaron asked her.

“Oh, I worked in a tailor’s shop back in the day. I was a seamstress. And men back then knew how to dress. So did the ladies. Anyway, Brian came into the shop to get a new suit. My boss, Mr. Clemens, who owned the store, was measuring him for the suit when I carried a finished alteration out to the front of the store. Brian saw me, I blushed, and suddenly he was in the tailor’s on a regular basis. He eventually asked me out…. I miss him terribly.”

“HOW DID HE….” Sarah started to ask.

“Cancer. He smoked, and the doctors said that killed him.” She started to tear up. “I always told him it was a filthy habit, but he was the man of the house…” she dabbed her eyes with a napkin. Sarah felt awful for dredging up those heartbreaking memories for Betty.

“But enough of such talk. Let’s get you fitted, Erin, shall we?”

Betty collected the teacups and placed them in the sink. “I’ll wash those later, dears. Let’s get you looking like a respectable secretary, Erin!”

Betty ushered the pair to a back room that had a small stand in the middle, with a table and a sewing machine to the side. She wheeled over a garment rack, “Old work items. You collect these things from your job, you know….” The garment rack had about ten outfits from the 60’s and 70’s, with a couple from the 80’s hanging off of it. None were slacks.

“BETTY….” Aaron started to ask, “NO SLACKS? I…”

Betty shushed him. “We will make sure you are the prefect secretary for your job, Erin! Bradley’s office manager, Gloria, is a very nice woman. She makes certain that the girls that work there present themselves well. I know she doesn’t allow slacks in the office. But I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it when you start.

“Now take off your clothes so I can get your measurements.”

Aaron balled and looked at Sarah. She shrugged. Aaron hesitantly began stripping, standing there in his bra and boyshorts. Betty shook her head. “Erin! A ladies bra and panties should always match! Remember that, dear! I expect next time we do this your lingerie will be more appropriate for a lady! Now hop up on the stand and stand up straight!”

Aaron stepped onto the stand as Betty took his measurements. “What types of foundation garments do you have, dear?”

Aaron blinked, immediately not liking where the conversation had veered. “Uh…” he blanked. There was the one girdle thing he had worn when he had twisted his ankle…

“We’ll have to get you some. I’ll assume we can get your waist in a little more with them. And honey, we need to watch your diet! You could stand to lose a few pounds!”

Betty jotted down some notes, walked over to the garment rack, picked a dress, and handed it to him. It was a fitted dress that looked like it was out of the sixties.

“I think this will need a slip, dear. Do you have one?”

Aaron looked at the dress and just shook his head.

“Well, put that dress on. I’ll do what I can about your foundations.”

Betty left him standing there with the dress. He reluctantly began to put it on.

Betty walked over to a landline phone while he did. She dialed a number. “Barbara! It’s Betty! Betty Whitmore! Yes! I have a new neighbor who’s in **** need of proper undergarments!” She glanced at Sarah. “And her daughter! Could you squeeze us in tomorrow?” Aaron and Sarah could hear a woman’s voice on the other end of the line because the volume was turned up so loud for Betty to hear. “Ok tomorrow at ten! We’ll be there!”

“BETTY…?” Aaron asked

“Hush, dear you both need the proper foundations to present yourselves. You at work, Erin. And you, Sarah, need to start learning about being a proper lady. I know. We’ll have you both properly fitted in short order. In fact….”

She picked up the phone again and dialed a number. “Margot! It’s Betty…. Oh, I’m fine. I have a new neighbor and who’s starting a new job as a secretary on Monday, and her daughter who needs a makeover. Could you squeeze us in tomorrow afternoon…. Yes, the works…”

“BETTY!” Aaron shouted.

Betty waved Erin off, ignoring her. “Yes, all that. And both a manicure and pedicure. Ok? Thank you Margot!”

Betty hung up the phone. “There. We’ll get both of your foundations sorted and then a salon trip to make sure you’re both ladylike. Erin, for your first day of work, and Sarah as she takes her first steps as a lady!”

“BETTY! I CAN’T LET YOU…”

“Oh hush, Erin. Let me pretend you’re the daughter and granddaughter I never had. It’s my treat.”

Betty zipped up the dress, effectively ending the arguments. She started marking it up with chalk. “We’ll need to take in the bust a little, but I think once we get your lingerie sorted, the waist will be fine, perhaps even a little loose. I’ll take it in just a smidge to perhaps encourage you to lose weight, dear.

“Now, here,” she handed him about her fitted dress off the rack. This one was actually more modern, but still pretty feminine and fitted. “We want to show off your figure, Erin,” she said as if that justified it.

And the fittings went on until Erin had tried on all the dresses. He was beginning to get the idea that Betty thought women should, or perhaps still do, dress like they did before she got married. He got redressed.

“I’ll get to work on making alterations on these,” Betty said as she led Aaron and Sarah to the door. “I’ll pick you both up at 9:30 and we’ll go see Mrs Gable for your foundations, then a light lunch and then into the salon to get you two ready for your new looks! A lovely girls day out!”

“Yeah,” Aaron said, unenthusiastically. “A lovely girls day out.”

Betty closed the door and Aaron and Sarah retreated to their home, both dreading what tomorrow would bring.